KID smART Arts & Education Conference: Building Together!

This summer, join us as KID smART celebrates 27 years of joyful learning through the arts! From June 24–26, 2026, the KID smART Center for Arts & Education in New Orleans will host a dynamic three-day conference spotlighting KID smART’s national leadership in arts education. Educators, artists, and arts advocates from across the country will come together to exchange strategies, spark innovation, and strengthen the future of arts education—together.

Conference highlights include specialized KID smART learning tracks, interactive breakout sessions, and meaningful networking featuring local and national partners who are shaping the field. Don’t miss this inspiring opportunity to learn, connect, and celebrate the transformative power of the arts in education.

Choose from one of the following morning learning tracks:

Art for ALL: Accessibility and Arts Integration with Mia Rotondo
What happens when accessibility, arts integration, and creative practice come together? Art for ALL is designed specifically for educators and staff working in alternative settings. Participants will examine disability justice, Universal Design for Learning, and how ableism can surface in classrooms—while actively exploring inclusive approaches to arts-integrated instruction. This is not a sit-and-get experience. Together, we will collaborate, problem solve, and make art that centers accessibility, student autonomy, and meaningful connection—building tools, relationships, and inspiration that carry forward into practice.

Exploration through STEAM with Paul Malbrough 
What happens when creativity leads scientific inquiry? This dynamic workshop invites educators to reimagine STEM learning by intentionally centering the arts. Through hands-on exploration, visual artmaking, and dramatic play, participants will experience arts-integrated strategies that deepen understanding of climate, interdependence, and environmental impact. Grounded in inquiry-based learning, this session offers practical approaches for engaging students in meaningful, cross-disciplinary exploration—from the global to the local.

Under the Night Sky: Integrating Science, Literacy, and the Arts with Kurt Wootten and Marimar Patrón Vázquez 
Spark curiosity and deepen learning by integrating science, literacy, and the visual and performing arts through students’ natural sense of wonder. This dynamic session models inquiry-driven learning that begins with powerful questions rather than predetermined answers. Participants will experience concrete thinking routines, creative science strategies, and innovative ways to bring poetry and complex texts into science instruction. You’ll gain a clear, adaptable process for scaffolding arts- and science-based projects across grade levels. All activities are classroom-ready and drawn from Engage: Creative Strategies for Teaching and Learning.

Everyday People: Social Emotional Learning in the Social Studies Classroom with Samantha King
What if social studies helped students see themselves—and each other—as essential members of their communities? This interactive session explores how a community-informed, arts-based social studies curriculum can foster empathy, cooperation, self-confidence, and respect for difference. Participants will engage in creative strategies that support students’ social-emotional growth while deepening their understanding of identity, belonging, and interdependence. Discover practical approaches that help young people feel seen, valued, and empowered in the world they are navigating right now. Join us to explore how social studies can shape not just informed students, but compassionate humans.